


Take care of me

by LoveLoon25



Category: My Candy Love
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mentions of Smut, One Shot, Sickfic, University Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22759585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveLoon25/pseuds/LoveLoon25
Summary: After Candy catches a cold from working in Clemence's conditions, Nathaniel decides to take care of her.
Relationships: Candy/Nathaniel (My Candy Love)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Take care of me

**Author's Note:**

> Nathaniel has already become Candy's boyfriend. This chapter is placed somewhere between episode 9 and 16.  
> This is the first time I post anything and I'm not a native English speaker so if there are any misspellings or anything funky about the story please forgive me.

Candy was laying in bed trying to get some rest but no matter what she'd do she couldn't get herself to fall asleep and even when she did somehow manage to sleep it was restless and didn't provide her any relief of her splitting headache and sore throat. She felt light as a feather but at the same time heavy as a sack of bricks, it annoyed her and confused her. Her body just wasn't responding to her, even going to the bathroom or trying to get a glass of water was draining her of any energy she'd manage to gather. 

Yeleen was going to be out of town for a week, and Candy didn't care at the time, she was even a little giddy at the prospect of having the room all to herself but now she wished her roommate was here. She would've called Rosa or Alexy to come and take care of her at least for a day, but Rosa had plans with Leigh to go visit Lysander at the farm and wouldn't be available until next Monday and Alexy left to go visit Armin for an unknown period. And so she was left all alone to deal with this nightmarish cold.

She got sick on Tuesday and now it was Fryday, three nights in a row she had woken up in pain, her insides felt as if they were on fire, sobbing at how utterly pathetic she was. She texted Hyun to let him know that she was ill and wouldn't be able to come to work. As for her classes, she'd just have to talk to Chani and get all the lectures she missed and catch up with the rest.

The afternoon sun was blaring down her window in hot streaks of light, falling on her bed and heating her even more than she already was. It annoyed her but she couldn't find the strength in herself to get up and shut the blinds. The weather outside was the total opposite of her mood. She would have rather preferred a cool rainy day now over the suffocating warmth that she otherwise would have enjoyed, like the other people her age, had she not have had a fever. She was sweating a lot and she felt gross and sticky, her hair was greasy and tangled. In other words, she was a hot mess.  
At this point, she was fed up with this waiting game but what else could she have done. Her medicine was starting to run out, and the only food she had at home was a box of cereals, some granola bars, an old croissant and bottle of cola, not that she even wanted to eat any of it, nothing seemed appetizing in her eyes, and nothing had a taste, everything was like cardboard in her mouth. But there was no question, she would have to go out to get what she needed to heal faster and get rid of this ailment.

She got up, a moan of pain leaving her lips. She pulled on a pair of black sweats over her underwear and a jacket over her rumpled t-shirt, got her purse and slowly made her way in the hallway. She didn't even close the door properly when she bumped into a person, the impact making her head swim. 

"Sorry...Candy?" it took her a while but she soon recognizes Nathaniel standing in front of her "Are you okay? you don't look so well." He looked at her, worry filling his eyes.  
"I'm fine" she whispered "I'm just... going out to get some medicine ... maybe eat" every word she said felt like sandpaper in her throat, but she tried not to show it and straightened herself a little.  
He didn't look convinced one bit by her act, but she didn't want to stay on her legs more than she needed, so she began walking towards the elevator passing by him, giving him a nod goodbye. But as she made the third step to her destination she was hit by a wave of dizziness and she felt her legs giving out preparing herself to hit the floor. Candy's body was about to collide with the ground when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her middle, one around her waist and one under her armpits. He lowered her slowly on the floor, one callused hand making its way to her forehead, his eyes widening in shock:

"You're burning!" the only response he got was her shallow breaths "What were you even thinking when you decided to walk outside in your state! You should've called someone to help you!" he grumbled annoyed as he started to look angrier by the second, his eyes were burning with worry. He hooked his arm under her knees and carried her back in her room to her bed, where he laid her gently. He never liked seeing Candy in pain, be it physical or emotional, she was the one that gave him the courage to leave that godforsaken house and face his abusive father, without her he didn't know what would have happened, would he have remained his father punching bag? would he have eventually escaped on his own? The one thing he knew was that she speeded up the process of his freedom and for a while, she was the center of his world until she left and he found himself unbalanced. But now she's back and he doesn't plan on letting her go again. He swore he would protect her from any danger he'd bring.

"Stay here and rest, I'll go buy you the medicine." she made a sound of protest but his face made it clear that there was no more room for discussion or complaining.  
Without another word he left, closing the door behind him. 

Meanwhile, Candy was feeling as if someone had thrown on her a bucket filled with ice water. She was sweating profusely and shivering like a leaf. The way she had gone from almost melting from the heat to freezing was beyond her. 

Her hair was sticking to her face and her clothes were soaking wet. Frustrated she forced herself to get up once again and remove her garments. She would have enough time to take a shower and return to her bed before Nathaniel would come back. With unsteady feet, Candy made her way in the bathroom where she turned on the hot water and entered the shower cabin where another wave of fatigue hit her so she unceremoniously slid down the tiled wall onto the floor. The contrast between the cold tiles and the hot stream relaxed her sore body and the steam was helping her breathe better. She lost track of the time and herself in the warm caress of the water forgetting about Nathaniel completely. 

On the other hand, Nath had just come back to her room from his short trip to the pharmacy only to find the bed devoid of Candy and the faint sound of pouring water in the background."Candy!" he called. No answer. He called again but ended with the same result. He didn't wait the third time for an answer anymore and barged into the small bath where he found the sick, naked woman sitting on the floor with her back leaned for support on the wall behind her dozing without care. 

She faintly heard Nathaniel calling her name and entering the bath but she couldn't find the force to care. He saw her naked before a dozen times back when they graduated and after that until she had to leave with her parents. And she knew that he saw many women after she left. She wasn't embarrassed at all. He was the man she loved with all her heart, too bad her mind won over her heart in making all the difficult decisions and left him. 

The thing that snapped her out of her trance was the stopped-flow of water and his hands shaking her shoulders gently 'Even tough you changed a lot you are still my gentle and caring Nath, no matter how much you try to hide it'. 

"Didn't I specifically told you to stay in bed and wait for me to come back? What were you even trying to do? Faint and hurt yourself?!" he looked annoyed at her. "I just wanted to get cleaned,... three days of sweating like a pig ...don't give you a very comfortable feeling. It was just... so annoying,... I needed to get rid of the stickiness..." at that he sighed, her throat was still sore, he could tell by the way she was speaking but he knew he had to get her out of the shower before her health got worse rather than argue with her.

As she stayed there on the floor she watched as he took off his jacket, started the water again, grabbed a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo and a towel and kneeled beside her. She felt Nathaniel lift her off the floor and lay the towel under her before setting her down with her back facing him. He took the showerhead of the hook and lightly brushed her hair with his left hand while the other was spraying her with water. After he untangled the knots in her long hair and set the showerhead down, he grabbed the bottle of shampoo and started massaging her scalp in circular motions which she very much enjoyed. To his great amusement, he found her resembling a cat, she wasn't necessarily purring, but he found her hums of contentment and her head pushing against his hands for more pressure endearing. After he leathered all of her hair he pulled it over her right shoulder until he could rinse it later. He took the bar of soap and started washing her back. After a while, she felt herself being turned around to face him. He was being very meticulous, rubbing her arms, torso, and legs. When she felt his hand travel up and down her stomach and chest she leaned a little forward in his touch without realizing. In a situation like this, he usually would have teased her but seeing her on the verge of passing out took out all the appeal in that. He quickly rinsed her and wrapped her in a fresh fluffy towel, then carried her over to the bed. 

Without any other word, he went to her closet and grabbed an oversized shirt and a pair of underwear then went back to her side. As he removed the towel off she felt a shiver rake her whole body a little wince passing her lips. He swiftly dried any excess water off her body and hair and pulled the shirt over her head. While he was dragging her panties over knees she let out a choked giggle. He looked at her bemusedly: "What.?"

"Sorry... It's just that ...I bet you're more used to pulling those off of girls rather... than help them put them on." "Well aren't you cheeky all of a sudden?" He brushed his fingers over her folds making her yelp in surprise. He chuckled at her grumpy expression. "You can't just do that!" "And who says I can't? You definitely weren't complaining while I washed you." At that, she closed her mouth and turned her back to him to bury her face in a pillow in an attempt to try and hide her growing blush. 

"Come on, you need to eat something before taking your medicine." as he said as he made his way toward the bag that was left at the door in his rush to get to the bathroom. He pulled out a container filled with slightly warm chicken noodle soup and went to sit next to her on the mattress. She propped herself on the pillows and pulled the blanket over her legs, reaching her arms out for the food but Nathaniel didn't make any move to give it to her. "I'd rather feed you, otherwise you're probably gonna make a mess with how your hands are trembling and I just cleaned you up." She pouted but didn't say a thing preferring to stretch a hand and grab a hair tie from her nightstand to put her still damp hair in a messy bun at the top of her head. He brought a spoonful of soup to her mouth and she obliged by parting her lips obediently. "So... I was wondering... Where are your friends? Usually, best friend one or best friend two would come fretting over you like a mother hens if they knew what state you were in. Why aren't they here... didn't you tell them? "she looked away a little sheepish"I didn't want to bother them. Currently, they are visiting their families and my other friends have classes or jobs to attend to, as, for my roommate, she left for the week." She ate another spoonful."I thought I could get through this cold on my own, but it got more serious than I expected. I'm glad that you're here. It makes me feel a little better knowing that I have someone to look after me for a while."She ate the last of her soup and laid down."Why didn't you call me? You know I would have come." He threw away the plastic bowl and utensil and went to retrieve his jacket from the bathroom and pulled out a bottle of medicine from its pocket."I knew you were busy too... with... your "job"...I just didn't want to worry you, I knew you would react this way." She rolled on her side to look at him and when she realized what he was carrying she looked at him disdainfully. "Please tell me you didn't buy syrup... please." "Don't be stubborn, you have to take your medicine!" "But it tastes so gross..." she shuddered at the thought of the artificial strawberry flavor, at any kind of fruit flavor. She preferred to take the medication in pill form, that way she could down them and don't have to worry about anything later. And to put the cherry on top, now she had to take double the dose she had to take when she was little and syrup left an after taste that alway made her gag and she wouldn't be allowed to drink water to chase it away because it would nullify its effect. 

She looked at him with pleading eyes, sealing her lips shut when he approached her with a cap full of that horrid liquid. "You're a grown woman. Stop stalling and take the medicine!" She didn't want to, but he already had done so much for her. So she begrudgingly took the cap in her fingers and flung her head back like taking a shot. She gagged so hard that it triggered a coughing fit that she tried to muffle with one of her pillows, facing away from Nathaniel. He placed a hand on her back, trying to comfort her by rubbing small circles. After she calmed down she fell exhausted on her pillows, small tears were formed in the corners of her eyes. "Please put away that thing, even looking at it makes me anxious." she raggedly whispered. "Ok, ok, I won't torture you any longer."

He chuckled at her sour face and put the bottle away in one of her drawers. "You should try getting some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow to check up on you, and don't forget to take another dose later. I'll know if you didn't." at his words, Candy panicked and grabbed at his shirt "Do you really need to go? Can you... please, stay the night with me. I'm really scared to be alone for one more night. It's like I'm being hit in the head with a bat, I can't sleep and no matter what I do I end up panicking and it feels like the night is endless... and it's so quiet and... I..., I... I can't." She started sobbing. He sat on the bed and gathered her in his arms, embracing her tightly, an action to which she responded by circling his waist with her arms, holding onto him as if her life depended on it, clutching his shirt in her hands."Shhh... It's ok. I won't leave, just go to sleep. I'll still be here when you wake up, I promise."

He leaned back on the bed taking her with him and covered them with her blanket. Candy soon fell asleep, all the withe nights catching up to her and having Nathaniel's warm presence by her side helped to lull her into a peaceful slumber. It was late in the afternoon, soon the day would get dark and Nathaniel'd dread grew by the minute. After spending hours by her side, gently combing a hand through her hair in a domestic kind of peace, tragedy struck. The leader of the drug dealing network sent him a text to meet him after nightfall, probably to sent him on another errand. He just wanted to stay by Candy's side and forget about the outside world, to freeze time and never leave this tender moment but alas his wish would never be granted. He was too deep in this shit to come back out on his own and he knew it. And yet here she was again, making him want to take action, to ask for help, to do something, anything just so he could be able to live a calm life again, with her by his side. For now, he would have to lay low and wait, act as if he was still on their side, the cop that contacted him would be the key to his salvation and patience was almost all it took to find the lock, the slip up of those dealers. 

He gently pried her arm that held his shirt and placed a pillow under it as if to mimic his presence. He kissed her forehead lovingly before he silently sneaked out of the room and out into the night. 

******************************* 

He got back home, no longer than two hours later. He was glad. Candy doesn't seem to have woke up, still hugging the big pillow in her arms, one leg over it. Nathaniel took off his jacket, laid on his side and smoothly switched the pillow with himself. She curled herself up more against him, her nose buried in the hollow of his throat. Just as he was about to dose of she whispered: "You broke your promise." That startled him up. "I'm sorry. I really had to go, but I won't leave again at least for now. I'll take care of you for the weekend." She sighed softly, tightening her arm around him." I hate it when you leave, I'm scared you might not come back. And I know I'm a hypocrite for saying this. I really wish I could go back in time and stay with you... maybe I could have prevented this mess from happening..., but I was weak and scared and I just ran away from responsibility, from growing up...I'm horrible, aren't I? Coming back out of nowhere, not even trying to keep or get in touch with anyone but Rosa. I've been away for too long. It feels like a memory that isn't mine. " He looked at her bitterly. He wasn't mad at her, not anymore. She didn't have any other choice but to leave with her parents, they were only kids at the time, freshly graduates of high school and didn't have the means to take care of each other or themselves on their own. But he'd admit wholeheartedly that he was devastated when the distance, in the end, broke them apart."I couldn't hold you here then, but I'll try my hardest to keep you at my side now. The past is the past, all we can do is learn from it. You had no control over your parent's decision and I don't blame you. We've grown a lot since then. The only thing I ask of you is to have patience and believe in me. This nightmare will be over soon, I swear." 

He kissed the crown of her head tenderly, a hand tangled in her long locks, playing with them, the other hand was snaked around her torso pulling her slightly on top of him. "You know what I missed the most at the risk of sounding cheesy and cliche?" she slowly asked. He let out a low hum in response. "I missed moments like these. You always knew how to hold me, how to calm me down, how to handle when I was acting recklessly or when I was overreacting. You always knew." she paused a little in her thoughts. "I tried to have boyfriends. I did, but none of them could match you. I was so annoyed that I couldn't completely get over you ... somehow subconsciously I'd compare them to you and they'd always fall short." she propped her chin on his chest to look at him, in his eyes satisfaction was easily seen " I just inflated your ego, haven't I?"She sighed hopelessly but her mouth was slightly upturned at the corners in amusement. "If it makes you feel better I never really forgot our relationship either. Kind of hard to do that with someone like you, if you ask me. You were always like a heroine in a novel, always trying to help people even when they clearly stated they didn't want help, but still, you stuck your nose everywhere. And you are still doing it now... but I wouldn't want you any other way unless you try to go up against drug dealers and mafia gangs, then I won't like it anymore." She pouted at him but led the conversation to a lighter tone. "If I'm the heroine, then does that mean you're my sidekick?... Can I call you Watson? hmm...no it doesn't fit well you're more like a Sherlock than I am." "That's right. And before you get your hopes up I already have a Watson at home." "Why doesn't it surprise me that your cat is your partner in crime. ..." "Now, now, no need to be jealous, dear. If you become more adorable than you are now I might never let you go out of the bed, and we wouldn't want that, now do we? " He tightened his hold on her, one hand slowly sliding to her hip, fingers leaving hot trails in their wake making her shiver unconsciously, her own hands grabbing at his shirt. "I think I changed my mind, you are more of a Mr. Bond rather than a Sherlock. You're too much of a womanizer." 

And so the two laid in bed, talking about everything and anything until they fell into a contented silence. They both stared at each other in the eyes, a subtle understanding passing between them. It was clear to both of them that they were meant for each other not just physically but also from the way they interacted. It felt so good to be together again, even though Nathaniel still didn't tell her everything that was happening in his life, she trusted him that one day he would. Candy was glad she could be a part of his life again and strangely enough, she liked the new Nathaniel as much as she loved the old one, maybe even more. She was so happy he accepted her again after all these years, so happy that he still loved her in some way, to some degree. She held eye contact as she raised her hand to cover his mouth and kissed the back of it. He gently grasped her wrist to pull her hand away and captured her lips softly with his. " You shouldn't do that. You're gonna get sick, why did you think I used my hand?!" He gazed lovingly at her "It was worth it. You could never make me sick, I'll be strong for the both of us." "Let's see if you can still say that later. Don't blame me if you get stuck sick in bed." before she could continue her rant he kissed her again."I think it's time for you to go to bed." she huffed indignantly but complied, closing her eyes and putting her ear to his chest listening to the strong beats of his heart, the sound lulling her to sleep. He soon followed after her, his dreams filled with the girl in his arms.

**********************************************************************  
time skip in the near future

"Achoo!"  
Nathaniel was soo glad Candy couldn't see him right now. He could hear her in his head telling him "I told you!". He nursed Candy back to health but in doing so he disregarded his own. He knew that she would soon find out and rush to his apartment to take care of him. At least he'll get to be pampered by his pretty girlfriend. A not so innocent picture of Candy wearing a sexy nurse uniform, thermometer in hand, flashed in Nathaniel's mind. Yes. Kissing her was definitely worth it.


End file.
